Top tips for newbies first trip!! (1 Viewer)

Apr 1, 2012
62
31
Sarratt, Hertfordshire
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Hi all,

We are having our first trip out in our new (to us) 2005 Autocruise Starburst 2. Do you have any tips or warnings to help our first trip go smoothly?

I am a bit daunted but am slowly picking up bits n pieces from viewing this helpful and entertaining forum!! Thanks in advance.

Richard
 

JJ

Mágica
May 1, 2008
19,228
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Welcome to the Fun...

If you use them... don't forget your Jim Jams and... if like me you use them but forget them... then don't leap out of bed with the curtains open... (unless the stable door is half closed)

Have a great trip... and don't worry... you are bound to forget something.. we always do...

JJ :Cool:
 
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icantremember

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Sep 2, 2010
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Hi :welcomefunster:,

Just make sure you put a couple of bottles of wine on board & then pack the rest of the van with beer and more wine:wine::beer:

After that just relax and enjoy yourselves:thumb:

Oh yes.....looking at the weather forcast you may need :rain::rain:

Brian

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May 7, 2011
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Hi, On my first outing many years ago I made a couple of lists, i.e. what to do before starting off ,what to do on arrival at site, like filling van with water before setting up, what to do before leaving site, like stow everything safely away check under van ,turn gas off etc, After a couple of trips these things become second nature,also take a notepad to write down items that you should have taken and really needed. Happy camping:Cool:, have a safe trip . If you are ever thinking of coming to the Isle of Wight send me a PM and I can give some tips. Terry:thumb:
 
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lugnutt

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Sep 9, 2007
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tin opener....evan if you think theres one in already...cos motorhomes get canibilised anything the house needs gets taken out m/h an not replaced:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

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Jim

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Jul 19, 2007
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You definitely need one of these
engraved-waiters-corkscrew-50-p[ekm]128x128[ekm].jpg
And if you buy Link Removedyou'll never forget anything ever again::bigsmile:

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May 16, 2010
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I think the main thing to remember is to simply enjoy yourselves:thumb::thumb:

On our first trip we started making a list ofn the things we had forgotten within 1 mile of setting off:Eeek:
By the time we arrived at our destination the list was huge and we were laughing a lot...:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

We still forget things and we still laugh about it....

Welcome to FUN:winky:
 
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geoff1947

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May 20, 2008
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spare wheel

Check your spare wheel and tyre pressures. where are you going???Caravan Club site or something similar:thumb:
 
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aba

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Oct 27, 2009
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spend the night before you go away in the van on the drive that will help you remember things

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geoff1947

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May 20, 2008
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spend the night before you go away in the van on the drive that will help you remember things

We did on night on site to get the feel of it Plugging in the electric, cooking on gas, making the bed, storing gear etc that sort of thing Its a huge learning curve. Sadly we realised very soon that we had bought the wrong sized van. It was too small for our needs An expensive mistake!:Doh:
 
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2dogs

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Nov 2, 2011
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its not the van thats too small ....

its the size of that cat your swinging:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
 
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Oct 2, 2011
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welcome. A wtering can is handy. When you get there, empty of water to keep the weight down, and excitedly get set up on your pitch and then realise you didn't fill up it will come in handy. Of course I never did this I heard about someone who's cousinns uncles brothers friend did this, or was it gas?

Most important thing to take and to bring here is a sense of humour and you will have a great time.:ROFLMAO::Smile::ROFLMAO:

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MHVirgins

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Bottle opener for the men and fluffy bedsocks for the ladies:thumb:
We forgot salt for the spuds:Blush:

Have a safe trip and enjoy yourself, there's always a story to tell about your first trip away:RollEyes:

Margaret
 
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OP
OP
C
Apr 1, 2012
62
31
Sarratt, Hertfordshire
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Since 2012
Thank you

All,

Many thanks for your warm welcome and helpful tips. We are off to Lincoln Farm Park in Oxfordshire for our first trip. It's not too far away as we live near the M25 at Chorleywood in Hertfordshire. It's clear from the weather forecast that I won't have to pack any suntan lotion.:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

Thanks once again and have a great bank holiday weekend!

Richard
 
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motorvating

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Feb 28, 2010
121
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RV E350 Diesel
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1 year
Protect your awning because if you don't you will lose it, and on sunny or rainy days it is a must.

Get some heavy duty (thick steel) tent type pegs and a couple of ratchet straps to anchor your awning down.
If it becomes windy wind it in because they quickly become a sail.
When rolling out try to slant it a little to allow rain to run off because water is very heavy, and will soon break the awning if it can't run off.

If traveling to France, buy a polarity tester, and have two of these connectors for your shoreline
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:16A-plug.jpg
because many French sites have have reversed polarity. You use one for normal polarity, and the other for reversed, but obvously you would have wired it up in reverse and marked it. If you use a normal polarity plug on a site with reverse polarity you will find things are still live even if you switch them of e.g. lights and I have heard that someone had a live chassis because of this issue.

make up a bodge kit for those little accidents:
Duct tape
Various size cable ties
Roll of Eternabond
Tube of silicon

Buy lots of food containers (tupperware type) to store food in the fridge to avoid them moving around in the fridge.

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Dereckerick

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5
Cable ties
gaffe tape
No more nails
Matches
Torch
Phone charger
Zantac
As long as you have access to cash you can get anything fairly quickly.
 
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Jan 19, 2012
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Leicester
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Spooky! I posted a very similar plea for our first trip - in our 2006 Autocruise Starburst. With three trips under our belt we're now obvioulsy seasoned 'homers [ahem] and have had no regrets whatsoever about buying the Starburst. FWIW the tip I'd pass on is to have a checklist for setting off. I've done one on a sheet of A4, double sided, with external checks one side, internal the other, then laminated and kept in the van. Perhaps one day I'll get so blase about it that I'll not need it, but at the moment it's a real boon to have everything written down.

Oh, and a notebook or something to jot down the things you're without and find you need is also handy as you WILL forget otherwise!
 
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May 21, 2008
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Starting off posh?

Very nice site apparently - prizewinning. That should let you ease into it nicely.

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mandymops

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Apr 2, 2012
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I'm a newbie
After all of the wine,my suggestion would be insulated caffetiere mugs (available from amazon) for that first cup of coffee in the morning.I know we make compromises when camping but instant coffee is a step too far. These mugs make real as easy as instant.:Smile:
 
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